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Brennan, unruffled, talks terror at NYU

President Barack Obama's embattled counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, delivered an emphatic defense Saturday of the Obama administration's rhetorical approach to terrorism — and also slipped in a few criticisms of Bush administration policies he suggested alienated Muslims at home and abroad.

In a speech at New York University’s law school, Brennan gave no nod to the calls for his resignation last week from the top Republicans on the House and Senate Intelligence committees. [Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also joined that bandwagon Sunday.]

Brennan seemed at ease speaking to the largely Muslim audience, which included Islamic law students. In fact, he broke out his Arabic at some length, drawing a warm reaction from the crowd. (Scroll to 5:43 in the first video below for that chunk. I think I hear the words youth and student in there.)

To me, the most interesting revelation was that Brennan, who has a hard-edged, tough-cop image, once traveled through Indonesia sporting an earring and long hair.

Some of the most newsworthy stuff came during a lengthy Q-and-A session that the White House just posted on the Web. In response to a questioner who wants a New York City trial for alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Brennan was noncommittal but seemed to favor a civilian trial if practicalities could be worked out.

"As far as support from the community and the funding requirement, the most important thing to keep in mind is we need to bring him to justice in an American court," Brennan said, according to the New York Daily News. “Whether it happens in New York, Pennsylvania or Virginia, where will funding come from? ... Clearly, this is an issue people in the city feel strongly about. … We are trying to push this forward as best we can, but we also need nonobstruction from certain forces in our government. … There are stiff winds delaying us from bringing this man to justice.”

While figures like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani have accused Obama of being soft on terrorism because he avoids terms like “war on terror” and “jihadist,” Brennan strongly endorsed the president’s approach.

“They are not jihadists, for jihad is a holy struggle, an effort to purify for a legitimate purpose, and there is nothing — absolutely nothing — holy or pure or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children,” Brennan said. “We are not waging a war against terrorism because terrorism is but a tactic that will never be defeated, any more than a tactics of war will. Rather, such thinking is a recipe for endless conflict. ... We are at war with Al Qaeda and its extremist allies, and any comment to the contrary is just inaccurate. We will destroy that organization.”

Brennan also charged that some actions by the U.S. government, presumably the Bush administration, underscored perceptions that the U.S. was in conflict with Islam. He cited as examples of overreach: “Violations of the Patriot Act. Surveillance that has been excessive. Policies perceived as profiling. Overinclusive no-fly lists subjecting law-abiding individuals to unnecessary searches and inconvenience. Creating an unhelpful atmosphere around many Muslim charities that made many Muslims hesitant to fulfill their sacred obligation of Zakat.”

Brennan’s statement that some individuals, presumably Muslims, were subjected to “excessive” surveillance is one I have not heard before from government officials and one that will hearten civil liberties advocates who have claimed that mosques were subjected to unwarranted scrutiny.

Brennan, who mentioned that he is Catholic, blamed religious leaders for spreading myths about Islam's being a religion of violence. “Those who purport to be religious are frequently the most egregious purveyors of ignorance, prejudice and discrimination — and it must stop,” he said. He did not single out any particular denominations or faith leaders.

Brennan disappointed some in the audience by saying that Obama has no plans to back away from support for Israel. "It's tough, but we're not going to separate ourselves from Israel," Brennan said, according to Fox News.

At times, Brennan suggested that the entirety of the American Muslim community has always stood 100 percent behind U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. "America has rarely noticed that American Muslims, such as yourself, have always denounced violent extremism," Brennan said, citing the head of the NYU center.

That blanket statement may overstate the case somewhat, since some prominent Muslims have been unwilling to endorse U.S. designations of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorists.

Another moment that was less than crystal clear was Brennan’s insistence that “we do not believe we need to make a choice between” national security and civil liberties, which came moments after he declared: “At times, we are unfortunately forced to make some painful decisions that we would not make under ordinary circumstances.”